He looked fine when I kicked him out of the minivan…

Not much could dampen my mood lately. I can’t justify getting too annoyed at anything. Our designer, Traci, called me for the third time this afternoon and apologized for calling so much and told me to prepare myself for a lot of phone calls. Are you kidding? I love these phone calls! It’s about time I got some phone calls! If I ever complain about anything about the house-building process, you have my permission to slap me upside the head. Hard.

And the fact that I think I have an ulcer? Not complaining. OK, maybe a little complaining. Just a little bit. (Michael has diagnosed gastritis, but I think ulcer sounds much more dramatic and garners more sympathy. So I’m going with ulcer.) I have an ulcer because my elbows hurt (possibly from lifting weights to strengthen my aching back), so I took large consecutive doses of naproxin and ibuprofen, which led to my ulcer. I’m on day 4 of Prevacid, and while I’m not waking up in the middle of the night with aching and burning in my stomach anymore, it still hurts. A little.

I’m suddenly feeling very old.

But my ulcer is just a segue to a much funnier, much more pathetic story of how I am not only old and falling apart, but I am also The Mother Of The Year. (Part 46)

In the wee hours of last Friday morning, Nathan woke up with a stomach ache. Michael got up with him, and sent him back to bed with a cold cloth and little ceremony. When I got Nathan up for school later that morning, I noticed a particular odor on his head that closely resembled vomit. Yep. It was vomit. He had thrown up (in the toilet, thank goodness) and gone back to bed without waking us up again.

But that morning he was bouncing off the walls and acting perfectly normal. His stomach didn’t hurt. He didn’t eat much for breakfast, but otherwise he seemed fine. And I had a lot to do that day. So off to school ya go.

First stop was volunteering for Nathan’s teacher. I mentioned to her that he might not be feeling well, but I think he’s ok, so come get me in the workroom if you need me. To which Nathan added, “Last night I puked!”

Thank you.

{sheepish grin and quick exit}

After finishing work at Nathan’s school, I drove over to Meghan’s school for her ultra-cool Ellis Island simulation. The kids were each assigned a character that had to portray (complete with costumes and props), and they had to go through immigration and plead their cases to “screeners” from the local active adult retirement home. It was so cute and so fun.

At least the first half of it was. I wouldn’t know how it went after that because the school nurse called me in the middle of it. Nathan was in her office with a tummy ache, she said. Did I want to talk to him?

No, I’ll come get him, I said.

I left Ellis Island and drove back to the elementary school and walked into the nurse’s office, where I was greeted with a very loud, very enthusiastic, very energetic, “HI MOMMY!”

Um, I thought you were sick?!

The little stinker was bouncing off the walls. He was chatting it up with the nurse and with me and with my friend, Gracie. He was perfectly fine.

So we had a little chat. I will take you home if you’re sick, I told him, but you’re going to bed, and you’ll miss Treasure Box at the end of the day. But if you’re feeling ok, you need to go eat lunch with your class and stay at school, and I’m not coming back to get you until 3:00.

He weighed his options and decided to stay at school.

So I went back home because the ship had sailed back to Europe from Ellis Island.

Two hours later, as I’m pulling out of my driveway to go back to pick up the kids from school, the school nurse calls me again. Nathan has been crying since I left and saying, “I CHANGED MY MIIIIIIIND! I WANNA GO HOOOOOOME!” But his teacher and the nurse knew the deal and knew that he was fine, and now he’s in the nurse’s office playing with all the toys on her desk and talking her ear off. Did I want to come in and pick him up in her office, or should she send him out to the car line as usual?

Park the car and walk in to pick up a perfectly healthy child? No thank you. Send the little stinker out to the car line. He’s fine.

Ten minutes later, I’m sitting in the car line, and my phone rings again. Nathan had gone back to his classroom to get his backpack…and then threw up all over the floor.

Mom Of The Year, right here, folks.

I can’t feel too guilty because, seriously, the kid was fine. Don’t you think? My friend, Gracie, who witnessed all of the bouncing and the talking and the fineness – and who happens to be a pediatrician – validated my decision by noting that if it were her child, she would have done the same thing.

But when Griffin woke up this morning with a stomach ache, you betcher boots I sent him back to bed and kept him home from school today.

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4 thoughts on “He looked fine when I kicked him out of the minivan…”

LOL – I think we've all had those moments as moms where we think we're doing great and then feel like slapping ourselves, but you're awesome – don't sweat it! BTW – I have been down the gastritis road and I literally feel your pain. I think it's certainly just as bad as an ulcer. 🙂 Hope you feel better soon!

so funny! on sunday night i was pleading with my toddler, eat a green bean. i force fed him, he puked, he laughed. i cleaned it up but felt really manipulated by the vomit. so, round 2, he did. the. same. thing. i won't be forcing green beans anymore. my point? the vomit maker always wins.

This soooooo sounds like Gavin. Even when he is legitimately sick, it's all he can do just LET himself BE SICK!! And in between the 103 fever, the vomiting, the…whatever…you'd NEVER believe a thing in the world was wrong with the child. BOYS!

I just watched an episode of Arthur when Francine puked in school. LOL. Man… ugh… puke= stay home in my book but yeah, if they're acting well, it's hard to know. Hope it didn't make any more rounds in the family!GLAD TO HEAR you've got phone calls going! YEA!